This week, we will explore the issue of plagiarism. By the end of
this class, each student will understand the term thoroughly. We will
work in groups to read and understand an article from The
New York Times and will discuss our own experiences as well.

Discuss the following questions in your group:

a. What do you think are the main reasons that students cheat in
school?

b. Do you think that there are some kinds of cheating that are
worse than others? Explain.

c. If you were a teacher, how would you punish a student who you
caught cheating? If you were a parent, how would you punish a child
who was caught cheating at school?

d. Would you ever report a friend for cheating? Why or why not?

e. How much do you think a parent can help a student with their
school work before it is considered cheating?

f. At what age do you think students start cheating in school? How
do you think teachers could deal with this issue early on to keep it
from becoming a bigger problem later?

Questions on the Reading, "Lessons
in Internet Plagiarism." (Answer with your group) NOTE: To view
the article, students may need to take out a free membership in the New
York Times.

a. How did Ms. Prestebak discover that the high school student had
taken his paper off the Internet?

b. How has the temptation to cheat been increased by access to the
Internet?

c. What happened at the University of Virginia with regards to this
topic?

d. What did Donald McCabe's survey reveal?

e. According to Cathy Aubrecht, what is a sign that a student has
plagiarized?

f. What are some of the consequences for plagiarism?

g. What are some resources that schools can use to find out if
students are plagiarizing materials?